The present invention relates to the art of cutting blade dispensing and disposal, and, in particular, to a mechanism for blade removal and/or mounting used to provide convenient storage, dispensing, and disposal apparatus for cutting blades which can be mounted on blade handles by means of a mating elongated slot and boss.
It is known in the art of cutting to provide disposable blades, such as surgical scalpel blades, commercially in several sizes, in sterile or non-sterile packaging, which are adapted to fit conventional metal scalpel handles of various sizes to form knives used for a variety of purposes in hospitals, in research laboratories, and in science departments in schools and universities. Relative to the use in hospitals, such blades are used in surgery, pathology laboratories, etc. Typically, commercially available surgical blades have a sharpened tip and cutting edge portion and a shank portion extending rearwardly therefrom. The shank portion of the blade is provided with an elongated aperture which is shaped and adapted to receive a mating elongated boss formed on the forward or attaching tip of a scalpel handle.
Generally, the elongated handle-engaging aperture of the blade can have a widened rear portion and a narrowed forward portion, the widened rear portion initially receiving the engaging boss of the scalpel handle guiding the boss forward into the narrowed forward portion of the aperture. The boss is undercut such that the edges of the narrowed forward portion of the aperture are engaged between a scalpel handle and the undercut surface of the boss. When the boss is completely inserted within the blade aperture, the rear edge of the blade aperture can be snapped over the rear of the engaging boss, thus achieving locking engagement between the blade and the scalpel handle.
In order to remove a blade of this nature from a scalpel handle, the rear edge of the blade must be separated from the handle to disengage the rear end of the blade aperture from the rear end of the boss so that the blade can then be pushed forward until the undercut boss clears the narrowed forward portion of the blade aperture permitting the blade to be cleared of the handle.
A sharp edge is essential in conducting a surgical operation. However, blades tend to lose their edge very quickly in such procedures so it is common to use several blades during a single surgical procedure. Thus, removal of a used blade from the handle and replacement of the blade with a new sterile blade is a frequent occurrence in the course of a surgical procedure.
The construction and operation of mounting and dismounting scalpel blades on blade handles present problems in that the handling of such sharp blades for mounting and removal purposes can easily cause injury to the handler. Accordingly, in the past it has been known to provide devices for removing the blade without the necessity of touching them with the hand.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,316 to Grieshaber shows a blade removing tool formed from tubing and having an elongated handle. One end is flattened somewhat so as to provide flat opposed surfaces in which are formed opposed channel-like grooves which function as guide tracks for the boss portion of the scalpel when the tool and the scalpel boss portion are assembled. Extending longitudinally from one flat surface of the flattened end portion of the handle are two spaced-apart prongs which are inclined upwardly a slight amount. The space between the prongs is such as to permit the slender boss portion of the scalpel handle to pass therebetween, the free end of each prong being offset upwardly. The blade end of the scalpel handle can be initially inserted longitudinally through the open flat end of the tube between the channel-like grooves. The offset ends of the tool prong slidably engaging the under surface of the blade until they engage behind the innermost edge of the blade adjacent the scalpel handle. The inclination of the prongs cause the innermost edge portion of the accommodated blade to be flexed upwardly so that each edge portion thereof will clear the slender boss portion of the scalpel when the scalpel is withdrawn longitudinally from the flattened end of the tool. The blade of the scalpel is held in place by the offset ends of the prongs during withdrawal of the scalpel handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,162 to Magney shows a combination dispenser-disposal cartridge for a surgical blade which includes an elongated open-top box with means for receiving and positioning the blade in a curved position to accept the mating boss of a scalpel handle. The box also includes means for stripping a used blade from the scalpel handle and retaining it within the box for disposal. The blade is packed in the box so that it curvingly extends from the forward tip towards the shank tip to facilitate insertion of a boss of a scalpel handle into the elongated slot, which is then moved forward and withdrawn with the blade mounted on the handle. Removal of the blade from the scalpel handle is effected by inserting the scalpel handle into the aperture end of the box until the tip of the blade is engaged between the side wall and a projection extending downwardly from the top of the box at which point the handle is moved to the right so that the rear edge of the blade is stripped away from the narrowed forward portion of the scalpel handle by engagement against an upstanding blade disengaging projection formed integrally with the floor of the box. The Magney combination dispenser-disposal cartridge can prove to be somewhat ineffective in use, resulting in surgeons or assistants resorting to manual removal of the blade from scalpel handles.
Other devices include the scalpel blade remover shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,624 to Klingenberg which includes a fixed block in combination with a second movable block having a slot between such blocks and a tab provided on the movable block to engage an end of the blade and move it relative to the body of the blade to disengage it from the handle. The blocks are mounted on a supporting surface beneath which a sterile disposal box may be disposed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,473 to Sandel shows a surgical blade removal and disposal device which operates by inserting a handle with a blade mounted thereon through a guide means so that the rear of the blade is disposed over spaced apart shoulders after which the handle is urged downward tending to bow the blade, thus disengaging the rear of the inserted portion from the rear edge of the blade slot to allow the handle to slide relative to the blade. The blade tends to move with the handle as a result of friction between the blade and the handle until it encounters the front wall of a stop which prevents further movement of the blade rearwardly. One of the problems encountered with the Sandel blade removal device is the severe bend imposed on the blade when it is fit over the spaced apart shoulders to guide the blade to the rear stop. This causes a high degree of friction between the blade slot and the handle boss making removal of the blade very difficult.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,532 to Eldridge, Jr., et al. discloses a surgical blade remover having a wedge shaped support member which tapers from its front side to its back side. The support has one or more mutually parallel latitudinal slots open at one end and along their length extending from the front side of the support to its interior. The slots are sized to receive the tang of the blade holder while preventing the blade itself from passing therethrough and the surface of each of the support members bordering the slot is covered with an adhesive which holds the blade in place while the handle is pivoted downward in the slot away from the blade. In certain embodiments, the slots are shown to have modifications contoured to compliment the shape of the blade and/or to provide a notch to receive a portion of the hilt of the blade in order to assist in blade removal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,397 to Neumann shows a unit for accommodating disposable blade-like articles in which the underside of a blade such as a scalpel blade, slidably engages a resilient tongue-like element which is deflected upwardly. The tongue-like element has mounted thereon cam means having surfaces which can be pushed against the blade to unseat the rear of the blade away from a boss on the blade handle. Once the tongue-like member is fully depressed thereby deflecting the rear of the blade downwardly, the scalpel handle can be removed, abutting the rear of the blade against the inside surface of a panel, thus unseating the blade from the boss and disassembling the blade from the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,620 to Brimmer, et al. shows a surgical blade dispenser and disposal assembly which includes blades individually positioned and supported within the box between a slot in a forward wall and a slot in a rearward wall which holds the blades in such a fashion as to slightly deform them in a lateral curve for receipt of a boss of a surgical blade holder in the elongated slot formed in the body of the blade. The blades can be removed by insertion of the blade bearing handle through the aperture and wedged rearwardly against projecting ears. The handle is then moved laterally to separate the rear of the blade from the boss and remove the handle completely off the blade. This device has proved to be cumbersome and the removal apparatus does not provide for efficient removal of the blades.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a scalpel blade dispenser by which scalpel blades can be quickly and easily mounted onto a scalpel blade handle.
It is another object of the invention to provide a scalpel blade extractor which facilitates easy removal of the blade from a blade handle.
Another object of the invention is to provide a scalpel blade dispenser holder which gives quick and easy access to a variety of scalpel blades.
Commensurate with the previous object of the invention, it is a further object to provide a device by which stored blades can be easily identified.
A further object of the present invention is to provide for safe storage of scalpel blades during the course of surgical operations.
Another object of the invention is to facilitate the safe disposal of used and contaminated scalpel blades.
Another object of the invention is to permit the quick and accurate inventory of scalpel blades usually conducted at the conclusion of surgical operations.
Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the disclosure of the invention as set forth herein.